Very Painful, Saw Quick Results That Did Not Last - New York

Lots of questions regarding whether I would repeat the procedure. Only if it was offered free every 4 months and they knocked me out! There has to be a better way short of surgery.

Update as of June 2011:

It's been 7 months and the treatment has all but worn off. What a disappointment! My sagging neck skin is back to pre-treatment status. Looking back, it was an excruciating, expensive and VERY short term fix... and if given the option, not one that I would repeat. Sorry for the bad but truthful news.

I was drawn to this procedure after watching it on the Dr. Oz show. I was sold when the woman it was demonstrated on said it wasn't uncomfortable. I had it done this past Friday and it was nothing like she described. My dermatologist applied numbing cream to my cheeks and neck and let it sit for over an hour. He offered me a Vicodin pain killer as well, but I declined. A nurse stood by with a hose blowing cold air on my face as he started to go over the areas half inch by half inch. The ultrasound felt like firecrackers exploding under my skin; the intensity varied but it could never be described as being uncomfortable. When he fired it over my jaw line, the pain felt like a tooth in need of a root canal. The fan was really just a distraction and I told them to turn it off. He went over the treatment areas twice. Knowing the level of pain I'd have to go through again made my entire body tense and shiver. Afterward, the areas of my face were super red and very hot. They gave me a mild cortisone foam to apply and an ice pack. The redness went away completely after 2 hours, and you would never know I had anything done. But the feeling of being bruised under my skin remains. This procedure really should have been done under a local anesthesia. No one should have to endure this much pain. I couldn't wait for it to be over. Was all this worth it? I saw an immediate difference which I hope continues through the 4-month recuperation period.